Things are in the works to have another one day tourney out at our beloved Tarwater. Here's the deal:- bring your own partner best shot doubles- rain or shine- all casual water- bring your own...everything.- $50 per team- pre pay only- first come first serve- pack it in, pack it out....respect nature!- 3 divisions: pro (>970 rated), advanced (910-970), intermediate (<910)- cash payouts per division.- 40 teams- if you have a nice basket, are willing to set it up prior to the tournament, and deal with taking it home, then please let me know.

As some of you know, the head of San Mateo County Parks toured the GGP course yesterday. It was a great tour, and many thanks go out to Becky, Stick, and JT for being welcoming hosts. He was very impressed, and is now going to try to move the process forward in San Mateo County. The next step is for him to join us at Tarwater so that he can see what an amazing venue the place is for disc golf...so if you're coming (and I hope many of you are), please be on your best behavior!

The 18 baskets NorCal has are coming to pescadero! If you'd like to play the course on friday the 20th, coordinate with me to help me get them set up that morning. We'll play the course once we're done!

I went out there today, spade in hand to fix up any tees, make steps, etc...and I gotta say, the course looks SICK! The mowed fairways are amazing. Hole 21, the 1100ft dogleg left, has had a bunch of coyote brush cleared, and the entire fairway is mowed. Rollers could be in play there. The tees are all intact. The grass is all short and green.

Spots are beginning to run out on this opportunity to play at this special place. A place we hope, with your help, to become a permanent reality. In other words...get off your humps and send me a check!

In the next few posts, I will be writing a hole by hole description for the curious.

Mindego Hill: a sharp downhill drive, sometimes into the teeth of the wind, plays around 500 feet and about 150 feet lower than tee. The left side of the fairway is dominated by large coyote brush, the area behind the basket contains thick brush and eventually drops into a deep gully. The right side of the fairway is a tree lined gully, deeply incised. Bottom line: you don’t want your disc to go anywhere but on the fairway here or you’re looking at adding strokes. A safe shot does exist on the short fairway. Par 3

Feral Pig: An uphill drive of about 350’ plays around 500’ due to the slope. The basket lies slightly right of the center of the fairway, and reaching it requires a bombing first shot followed by a precise upshot Par 3

Pescadero Creek: An elevated tee gives the thrower a nice vantage point on this 500’ hole. The main hazards here are the wind, and a line of trees that must be crossed to have any chance at a 3. The sloping hill eats discs that hyzer out too early Par 3

Poison Oak: an slighty open 325’ downhill shot gives you an opportunity to birdie, or better. However, several disc eating trees line the fairway and a clump of trees containing a bunch of poison oak await overeager throwers who go too deep. Par 3

Madrone: Your first truly wooded fairway greets you with a central opening that simply must be hit. A gully on the left provides the punishment for drives that hit the trees the wrong way. Basket is nestled up to the right making the tee shot tricky at best. Par 3

Douglas Fir: You emerge from the woodlands to view a 350’ uphill shot that plays like a 475’. Keep it out of the trees on the right and you shouldn’t surrender strokes. Par 3

Butano Ridge: The lovely wooded ridge you see in the distance is this hole’s namesake. Most of it is in Pescadero Creek County Park and is home to the rare Santa Cruz Cypress tree, an endangered species. Your task is right and front of you and slightly blind to the right: a 275’ downhill shot that could be disasterous if overthrown or if the fairway is missed. Otherwise, a nice birdie opportunity awaits. Par 3

Racoon: Tarwater’s shortest shot is also one of it’s trickiest. The tee intentionally takes away the RHBH. Meanwhile, the basket is place about 150’ on an extreme downhill slope. Nasty schule and gullies await the improperly placed drive on either side of the fairway as well as deep Par 3

Secret Meadow: an elevated tee shows off one of Tarwater’s prettier holes, 325’ secret meadow, which forces the golfer to throw straight at the basket. Any deviation could result in a disc caught high in the trees. The basket itself is set in a lovely buckeye grove. Par 3

Giant Redwoods: Only 240’ and downhill to Tarwater’s lowest elevation, but with giant trees all around, a seasonal stream, and an elevated basket (on a second growth redwood stump), who cares? Make a run for tarwater glory and make sure to check out the massive stumps that the lumber companies cleared out during the early part of the 20th century. Too bad those trees got cut! Par 3

Redwood Sorrel: While you’re down in this redwood grove, check out the green clover looking plants at your feet. That’s Redwood Sorrel. The disc golf shot that you must deal with might have you sorry though, since it will require you to throw uphill 325’ through unforgiving trees. The basket is set in a nice grove of buckeye. Par 3

Maidenhair: Your woodland adventures continue on this tight hole, which forces the disc golfer to hit the fairway, then go right towards an elevated basket set on a ridge. Par 3

White Tailed Deer: Welcome to extreme elevation. Though only 185 feet away from the tee, this hole challenges you to reach it either with an overhead or via a small window facing you less than 60’ from the tee. The basket is set along a tree line near the ‘top’ of the ridge. Par 3

Ceanothus: A short walk gets you to this tee, flat along a seasonal wet meadow. The disc golfer is presented with two choices to reach the 400’ basket: go left at the end of the meadow to a pretty wide open shot to the pin, or to the right for a riskier but sensible RHBH anhyzer. Either way, you could end up getting strokes if your tee shot is imprecise. The basket is set at the edge of a meadow along a thin line of trees and bushes. Par 3

Buckeye: you head back into the woods for the first of several tunnel shots. This shot, only 225’ straight ahead of you, will test your ability to throw a disc straight. Par 3

Sword Fern: More uphill, slightly longer, but more open than the previous hole, this shot has a major hazard on the left side of the fairway in the form of a deep gully. The basket is placed on the right side elevated at least 15’ higher than the fairway. Par 3

Coast Live Oak: these are the lovely trees through which this hole travels. While only about 270’, this shot requires complete accuracy to reach the green, tucked away behind a lovely old growth oak Par 3

Coyote Brush: a tunneled tee shot opens up a bit on this short 210’ fairway. The basket requires an 8 foot bike flag to be visible from the tee area, such is the elevation drop and the thickness of the coyote brush which freely entangle discs on this hole. Do not go too far! Par 3

Santa Cruz Cypress: Finally Tarwater begins to open up. This 435’ shot is blind because of the downhill slope halfway through the fairway. The basket sits in a small pocket of trees just to the left of the main hazard on the hole, thick forest which lines the right side of this fairway. Par 3

Marbled Murrelet: The murrelet is an endangered duck like bird that is found on the banks of Pescadero Creek, deeper into the county park. No need to worry about the bird here though. Your chief concern is to find a fairway on a 475’ hole, which from the tee looks a bit difficult but is possible. The basket is set in the open. Par 3

Tarwater Creek: Tarwater creek feeds into Pescadero Creek a couple of miles downhill from the course. The creek is aptly named: oil seeps naturally into the otherwise clear creek, making balls of black gunk on the streambed. Your hope here is to keep your disc clear of hazards on this 1025’ shot that doglegs left. An open meadow provides a landing area for your drive. Be careful! To the left lies almost unpassable shule that will definitely add strokes to your score and even be difficult to find. Once on the meadow, the shot is more straightforward. Shoot towards the end of meadow but keep your disc out of the continuing trees on the left. Finally the basket will present itself: a lovely shot downhill towards it. But be careful, the trees are nasty! Par 5

Mountain Lion: More extreme uphill. Can you keep your disc out of the trees and far enough up the hill to make your second shot matter? Set at 460’ away from the tee with a tight left dogleg, the basket plays more like 750’. Your second shot could put you in position to score or to start bleeding strokes. Basket is set up and over yet another hill and in a small clearing in the trees. Par 4

Pacific Wax Myrtle: Your uphill adventure continues on this 450’ shot. The fairway is pretty evident, the basket is set off the the right at the edge of a nasty slope. Don’t miss your upshot or your putt. Par 4

Sticky Monkeyflower: 410’ away lies the basket, out of sight due to a dogleg left. The mature coast live oaks on your left eat discs alive, while the coyote brush to your right will have you contemplating roller up shots. Best to hit the fairway on this one. Par 3

Steelhead: at 230’ this hole is short. But it is tricky. A dogleg right provides the hazard of trees and coyote bushes. Par 3

Bay Laurel: Perhaps the easiest hole at Tarwater, this straightforward 250’ shot gives you an ace or birdie run. But the usual hazards are present for the careless: go too far or to the right and the brush will make you pay.

Coyote: Harder than it looks, especially if the wind is up. This mostly open 425’ shot challenges the disc golfer in unique ways. The right side of the fairway is completely nasty with brush. The basket is set on an elevated bluff that is steep on 3 sides. Beyond the basket is the road which is out of bounds.

The registration for this tournament is now CLOSED. If you haven't sent a check to me (and haven't talked to me about playing) don't bother. Those who are in will receive an email shortly. If you don't get this email, do NOT come down to Tarwater...the parking is very limited. You will simply have to wait until next time. Thanks!

Tarwater will NOT be rain or shine, as the county has told us that they won't let us play in the rain. Friday is supposed to be rainy...so please DO NOT come to tarwater in the rain. The tournament will be held at a date to be determined if postponed